Christie: The not-so-improbable keynoter

By CHARLES MAHTESIAN

08/28/2012 11:27 PM EDT

AP Photo

Gov. Chris Christie began his speech Tuesday night by highlighting the improbability of the moment, marveling at the notion of “a New Jersey Republican delivering the keynote address to our national convention, from a state with 700,000 more Democrats than Republicans.”

He’s right -- it seems implausible that such a solidly Democratic state would produce the convention keynote speaker for a conservative party with such a weak presence in the Northeast.

Oddly, though, it’s not that unusual. As strange as it seems, the Democratic strongholds of New Jersey and New York have produced four of the last six GOP convention keynote speakers.

In 1988, it was one of Christie’s Jersey predecessors, Gov. Tom Kean, who spoke to the New Orleans convention. Eight years later, New York Rep. Susan Molinari gave the keynote in San Diego. There was no keynote address in 2000 and Georgia Sen. Zell Miller was selected in 2004, but after the brief drought the GOP looked to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 2008.

The New Jersey-New York connection hasn’t helped the GOP nominee in those states. It’s been more than 20 years since either voted Republican at the presidential level.